I'll also be on Henry Tannenbaum's show on San Francisco's KRON channel 4 on Sunday morning (Sept. 19th) at around 9 am.

Then I'm flying back to Milwaukee, where my car is parked, and driving to Akron, Ohio for rehearsals for Zero Defex's performance at a show called The Debacle on Saturday September 25th at Kent Stage in Kent, Ohio. The show starts at 8pm. We go on pretty late, around midnight.

In November I'll be participating in a Dogen Translators Forum held at the San Francisco Zen Center November 5-7.

I'll also announce some Montreal gigs in October or November once the dust settles up there. And a couple events in and around Los Angeles in November.

All of this mad flurry of activity comes just as I get out of a month long stay at Tassajara Zen Mountain monastery in the middle of the Ventana Wilderness Area near Carmel Valley, California.

As you can see from the photo posted above, I got myself a haircut while I was out there. I've been into punkrock for 20-some years and this is my very first mohawk. I also somehow lost 10 pounds even while living on what seemed like a steady diet of the world's most delicious bread and cakes. Tassajara is famous for its baked goods, and rightly so.

I was initially asked to come to Tassajara to give a couple of talks to students there during the final week of their annual summer guest season. Tassajara mainly functions as a Zen monastery. But it was originally a hot springs resort and every summer they open up the resort for about three months to paying guests. There is no paid staff as such. All the guest relations and suchlike are handled by Zen students. These students follow a regular Zen schedule in the mornings and evenings and spend most of the rest of their days working the jobs necessary to keep the resort running. This includes room cleaning, bed making, cooking, dining room duties, keeping the pool and bath house running, washing dishes and so forth.

When I got the invitation I looked at my schedule and noticed I had about a month free. So I asked my friend Greg Fain, the tanto (head of practice) at Tassajara, if I could just come for the whole month and be a student. He made some inquiries and found out there was space, so the deal was done. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But it felt like I needed this.

Y'see, folks, I'd been traveling around the world for the three or four months prior to going to Tassajara. I was the toast of all Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with rabid fans clawing their way to see me in Helsinki, Belfast, Warsaw, Toulouse, Berlin, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Shizuoka and elsewhere. People were stopping me on the street in Austin, Texas and Tokyo, Japan to tell me how much my books had meant to them. When paying by credit card for a used book in Knoxville, Tennessee the clerk said, "I thought I recognized you!" I'm starting to suspect that when I sometimes get stared at in restaurants and other public spaces maybe it's not because I have a booger hanging out of my nose, but could in fact be because not everyone who recognizes me feels comfortable coming up and saying "hi" (it's always OK with me, by the way, as long as people are respectful).

It's weird.

Plus the life I was living was drawing me further and further away from my Zen practice. It's hard to sit twice a day when you're zipping around from place to place faster than a speeding bullet all the time, meeting people, hanging out, seeing the sights, getting fed and all the rest.

How come all this is happening and I'm still poor as shit?

But I digress. I felt like I needed the rigorous schedule, the ridiculous rules and the hard work Tassajara requires of its students to get back on track. We'll see whether it worked or not.

I was assigned to the dining room where I was something like a waiter most of the time. There are no menus at Tassajara. The meals are the same for everyone. So there was no ordering involved and, unfortunately, no tips to be had. But I poured coffee, opened wine bottles (it's all BYOB there, no alcohol is sold or served), bussed dishes, brewed coffee, scraped compost into buckets and did most of the stuff waiters do. That was on days when I wasn't assigned to be a dish washer.

I have to admit, my first few days on the job I was all like, "Don't these people know who I am? I am one of the most important voices in Buddhism today! Refill your coffee? HA! You should be so lucky as to get your coffee refilled by a star of my caliber!"

I'm exaggerating, but not by much. And there were a few guests who did recognize me. But by and large the guests at Tassajara aren't my target audience. I was more often spotted by students. That was OK, though, because it doesn't take long to get over being starstruck by a guy who you see hauling stinky buckets of compost and cleaning encrusted crud off the samovar.

As Greg said just now when I read him some of this, "It's a great way to study the self." It sure was. Gives you perspective, perhaps even "too much perspective" as Spinal Tap said. But it was really good.

I had a few adventures. Like when I went out for what was supposed to be a three hour hike with three other people. We ended up losing our bearings in the woods and had to spend the night at a campsite we found, completely unprepared. I had on a t-shirt and jeans. It gets down into the 40s Fahrenheit at night out there in the mountains. No sleeping bag, no jacket. I had a towel wrapped around my shoulders to try and stave off some of the cold. Oh and we'd walked through the creek for much of the way and were soaking wet.

I met some amazing people. Formed a punk rock band. Re-learned stuff I'd forgotten. Officiated a well-being ceremony for Nina Hartley's mom. Dressed up in my robes just about every single day. Got my first mohawk. Learned some new jokes (Q: What has two knees and swims in the ocean? A: A two-knee fish!). It was totally worth it and I'd do it again anytime the staff there will put up with me.

I'll write up more of my overall impressions of the place in the coming weeks.

...BTW, there are 'Sex in the Sinny' book reviews all over the Buddhismist Blagosphere (check out the one on Wild Fox Zen if you don't want to feel good about yourself).

...oh, and we caused the Jinzanger to take an overdose: He swallowed 1500 times the RDA of his Homeopathic medicine. He is now fine after recovering from his untimely 'death' which scientists say was due entirely to the placebo effect.

When we walk and talk about itTalk together, I feel fineWhen we walk and talk about itTalk together, walk in lineWe walk together, talk about itTalk together, I feel fineWe talk about it, walk togetherTalk together, walk in line

...Actually, Johnny e, you maestropathic mystic you, there is a valid point here methinks underneath all the terrible, blasphemous things I'm saying against the weighty stone tablets of a grown man's belief in little white balls of sugar and those blasted evil scientists everywhere who want to kill us all stone dead.

In certain circles it would be pretty fine to burn a Koran, or a Holy Bible, to wipe our ass with the sutras, or doodle a pic of the prophet Mohamed... but don't you dare blaspheme against the ultimate, white, middle-class religion of 'Alternative Healthism'!

What is this all about? I've watched it come (a good bit later than on the other side of the pond of course) from minority alternative obscurity to widely accepted norm in the space of about two decades.

I met someone, a seemingly reasonable and quite nice person, who said that her job was to be an advocate, a sort of lobbyist I suppose, in the area of Alternative Medicine in the US. I asked her is she lobbied for it or against it... it was like I had asked her if the sky was blue or yellow such was the level of... well, faith and assumption. She was a lobbyist very much for it.

I pointed out that the whole area is completely unregulated in this country, and that, in my own experience (and that of others I know) there are snake oil sales men out there turning a nice profit due to peoples' 'faith' in the sector, due to their growing distrust of conventional medicine, and due to all the fuzzy areas that exist around an unregulated and un-tried-and-tested free for all. The conversation stopped there needless to say.

The guy I went to one time (a magic white tablet guy) was just a quack. It didn't work, and he misdiagnosed me... and cost me about 200Euro for 15 mins work and some magic candy. Now, I'm not saying that's the whole story, but, when I say to my missus that it seems to me to be a load of old pooh, she, and some of her friends, get all pissed of with me and start telling these stories of how the pills helped a friend, or a friend of a friend and all that...

Is the mythic aspects of Alternative Medicine fulfilling some very primal need in the human consciousness?

Several people I know are big on Reiki BTW (you know, the ancient spiritual practice invented in 1922 by a BUDDHIST)... all I can confirm for sure (from my own observations and experiences of 'treatment') is that it helps cure middle aged and upper middle aged women from boredom and an excess of disposable cash.

Welcome back to your fan-block. Man, you,ve been away too long. See,what has happened in the meantime. All children flipping around. Jinzang left the room, Harry becomes a little bit more sarcastic than before,Seagal Rinpoche, your alter ego, was on holiday and left us totaly uncontrolled. But there's hope: Seagal hits the Nr. 1, you found yourself again and do an iro for the first time and maybe you get yourself a tattoo to show the Master-Blaster-Gang how cool you are and they're not. But I think it's more fun to be funky than established and if you don't take drugs or drink alcohol for the next,say, 40 years there'll be a good chance to take the long run like the Rolling Stones or Deep Purple for example. And if you'll have written your 45th book about Dogen as the very first Punk-rocker under the sun ( sorry for the blasphemy, you will fade awayand make the great universe book-signing-tour(dates announced on your life-blog: " See ya on Sirius...")I'm looking forward to your next post and one express request: please call up jinzang and get him back, because we all miss him badly. Thank God I'm a Buddhist.Bows,Gerald

I know these friend of a friend storys as well and when I critized some of the adepts, its like I called the pope a satan. Funny, how much people wanted to be seen on the whole instead of seeing themself as the whole. "Take these sugar-pills 5 times a day and you will be totally yourselve."Blind by science,Gerald

Hi Brad,wonderful that you are back to normal world! You did a great job serving coffee and all this stuff. First I thought this Tassajara is a strange place, like a recreation hotel all inclusive. But following the daily service in the morning and evening it turned out to become a nice, wonderful, long to remember sesshin for me. All this vegetarian meals had been so delicious and our group for calligraphy had so nice participants. Do you remember the woman who was so glad to be introduced to you? To this famous Brad Warner???Have a good time,Regina

Jezzus Harry, (Maybe if you'd shave we wouldn't have to call you that.) But I bet you've heard all of 'em: Harry Ass, Harry Booger, Harry "nads, Harry Motherfucker, etc.

You are the only one so far that has kissed Bradbutt about his new "book." And warned him off the negative Wild Fox Zen review. What is it, are you such a blatant Starfucker? And you're defending Hokai because he always defers to your "opinions" right? It's like a chain reaction of namby pambys.

Maybe if you try harder you can have this comment area all to yourself. Alpha and Omega. It can be your new frat. Of one.

That's it, Johnny Boy, you've 'transcended reason' a foot too far now and have gone and dided it. The Koran is now officially off Oprah's holy book BBQists shitlist: I'm a-burnin' pure Rumi from now on in... ~:-(

I always knew you honky Sufis would never accept me, Hokai's and Brad's polygamous rumpfun antics. I'm really hurt (and it wasn't the two guys this time, I'm used to that now).

Brad's gone for month, Seagal rinpoche is gone for a month. First day Brad comes back...............................Seagal Rinpoche comes back.Coincidence?I think not.Now we know the Seagal's true identity.Brad you are so awesome now as a New Orleans cop. How do you manage all of that and movies too in your spare time?

The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan. Four of them who were intimate friends promised one another to observe seven days of silence.

On the first day all were silent. Their meditation had begun auspiciously, but when night came and the oil lamps were growing dim one of the pupils could not help exclaiming to a servant: "Fix those lamps."

The second pupil was surprised to hear th first one talk. "We are not supposed to say a word," he remarked.

Hey Brad, nice to hear you're back! While you were gone I sent you an email, but I got what looked like an automated reply that told you were away on the 15th. Perhaps your email program malfunctioned or something, sending that after you came back instead of right away as it's supposed to?

Just to let you know, so that not everyone who mailed you when you were away at Tassaraja got "I'm gone"-reply while you were there.

Do I need to resend it or will you be going through the emails at some point when you've got time?

"Brad's gone for month, Seagal rinpoche is gone for a month. First day Brad comes back...............................Seagal Rinpoche comes back.

Now we know the Seagal's true identity."

Haha.. Wrong! Seagal and Brad shared a cabin at Tasajara, that's all. Nothing much happened.. at least nothing consensual. Seagal's a big guy with big needs. He wanted Brad to cut his hair a certain way and call him Daddy. That was the extent of it.

For a good discussion of the Buddha's comments on the "God" concept check out:2007-10-25 #6 God & Buddhanature 57:15 A study of the Buddha's understanding of God (Brahma) as found in texts of the Pali Canon. The Buddha was an ironic ATHEIST, who did not take a fanatic position against God. This is followed by a reflection on the idea of BUDDHANATURE, starting with its origins in the Pali Canon and seeing how it evolves in later Buddhist thought in ways that both complement and contradict the early tradition. Spirit Rock Meditation Center: Meditation and Study Retreat

Great to meet you last night. Forgot to invite you to my favorite bar; if you have nothing to do tonight, c'mon out to the First Edition in Petaluma. There will be beer, a D.J., and records played. There are some fine local women who love to dance. I'll buy you a beer. Vanja can't make it, but I'll doubtless be up on the floor myself, and my good friend Lisa will be there to show us all how it's done. If you can't get home, I can put you up where I live; I'm within walking distance of the bar.

Everybody, c'mon out! Ha ha!

Harry, it's one of those underground lines, comes out in California near Petaluma; just give a call from the station. Seagal, get your robes out here! Anonymous, you know who you are...

"Why is it useful for the Autonomic Nervous System only can be useful, even though it is usually unrecognizable? I think that in the case of the Autonomic Nervous System the miscellaneous things and phenomena can be known relying upon the function of the Autonomic Nervous System itseif. Even the function of the Autonomic Nervous System is not so clear, relying upon the function of the Autonomic Nervous System, fortunately we can find so many valuable functions of the Autonomic Nervous System actually, and so we can expect that we, Human Being, will be able to find so miscellaneous and so gaugeous facts in the Universe in future relying upon the Autonomic Nervous System."

How are we to usefully understand our ANS, which, although fundamental to our being, functions beyond our conscious control? I believe that many different aspects of human experience and behaviour might be understood by studying the functioning of the ANS. Even though we do not yet fully comprehend its workings, it may be that by studying our ANS we human beings will gain great insights into the beautiful mystery of the relationship between ourselves and the Universe.

I'm often very confused by what Gudo writes on his blog these days. But it's usually rewarding to try to work it out. Feel free to ignore, rip apart or affirm.

I think it's possible to fill in some of the details. It's a tripartite: the motion of bones and joints that results from the changes in fluid volume in the cranial-sacral system (about 10-14 times a minute, per Upledger), this roughly corresponds to PNS; activity related to the movement of breath, this roughly corresponds with SNS; and the place of occurrence of consciousness, the two aspects of the autonomic nervous system I believe coordinate through the sense of place as consciousness occurs. Helpful, perhaps, to have studied some form of the arts to realize the connection between balance and the sense of place as consciousness occurs.

It don't mean squat if it don't sit, stand, walk, and talk. Without the exercise of volition.

"There are two major components of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems." more

A review of Meditation in general. ("Some types of meditation might work by affecting the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. This system regulates many organs and muscles, controlling functions such as heartbeat, sweating, breathing, and digestion...")

"It is thought that some types of meditation might work by reducing activity in the sympathetic nervous system and increasing activity in the parasympathetic nervous system."

leaves and sleeves and sievestrees unneeded by the breezecascading with truncated cadenceof space encased in circadianradiance spurred under tranceformation seeking the ally amongst dusty valleys ringingin the wings of moths scrawled on ragged clothsustained and entrained or strained with shameno blame

cast in bonehoned with stone and shonein the ponds of moonlitshades poured from bucket brigades of bamboowarriors splintered in terminalslices of pie spliced with timeand grated with heavenly tracesin the secret placesopen wide

Dogen's fourfold philosophical system,goes back to the Buddha and Nagarjuna:"'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle..."Nāgārjuna differentiates between saṃvṛti (conventionally true) and paramārtha (ultimately true) teachings, but he never declares any conceptually formulated doctrines to fall in this latter category; for him, even śūnyatā is śūnyatā; even emptiness is empty. For him, ultimately,

nivṛttam abhidhātavyaṃ nivṛtte cittagocare|anutpannāniruddhā hi nirvāṇam iva dharmatā||The designable is ceased when the range of thought is ceased,For phenomenality is like nirvana, unarisen and unstopped.This was famously rendered in his tetralemma with the logical propositions:

X (affirmation)non-X (negation)X and non-X (both)neither X nor non-X (neither)Nagarjuna also taught the idea of relativity; in the Ratnāvalī, he gives the example that shortness exists only in relation to the idea of length. The determination of a thing or object is only possible in relation to other things or objects, especially by way of contrast. He held that the relationship between the ideas of "short" and "long" is not due to intrinsic nature (svabhāva). This idea is also found in the Pali Nikāyas and Chinese Āgamas, in which the idea of relativity is expressed similarly: "That which is the element of light ... is seen to exist on account of [in relation to] darkness; that which is the element of good is seen to exist on account of bad; that which is the element of space is seen to exist on account of form."

The Five Ranks, by Chinese Soto (Caodong) master Tung-shan (Tozan), are fundamental to Soto and Rinzai Zen teaching, expressing the fundamental non-dualism of Buddhist teaching, which rejects the duality of dualism and non-dualism. The ranks are based on a translation of five stanzas from a poem attributed to Tung-shan, who may have received it from his master before him:

1.The Apparent within the Real/The Actual within the Ideal2.The Real within the Apparent/The Ideal within the Actual3.The Coming from within the Real4.The Arrival at Mutual Integration5.Unity Attained

So, understanding Dogen's fourfold system he uses in the Shobogenzo is not only fundamental to understanding the Shobogenzo, but to understanding the whole of Buddhism.

moreover, this is Middle Way is expressed in The Sandōkai (參同契) is a poem by the eighth Chinese Zen ancestor Shitou Xiqian (Sekito Kisen, 700–790) and a fundamental text of the Soto school of Zen, chanted daily in temples throughout the world.

English translations of the title, some more and some less literal, include "Merging of Difference and Unity", "Merging of Difference and Equality", "Agreement of Difference and Unity", "Harmony of Difference and Sameness", "Harmonious Song of Difference and Sameness", "Identity of Relative and Absolute", "Harmony of Relative and Absolute", and "Ode on Identity".

check out: The Seer is Seen Still Grande finale Joyful Seeing and Bergson http://danielcoffeen.podomatic.com/profile?p=2